Except the hardware broke the second my Lurcher pulled on the leash 
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I won not one but TWO camo hats about 10 years ago. It was my lucky day 
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I won a set of stemless wine glasses engraved with the show’s logo and I was thrilled. I was in college at the time. I don’t drink, but at the time, they were the only matching glasses in the cupboard. I felt very fancy drinking orange juice out of them.
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OH what a fun topic!
When I was a kid, my sisters, myself, and my mother all showed at a local show run by a 4-H group. One year, they gave directors chairs for champion in every division. This must have been for our big, double pointed show, and I told my mom that I wanted to win one. She cautioned me that it was going to be competitive, so don’t get my hopes up. WELL, my family was on a lucky streak that day, and we ALL won chairs. In fact, I think I and maybe my middle sister, actually won 2 chairs each. We still have a few of them, and this was easily 30 years ago. We loved it.
Worst was also from when I was a kid, one show, we won a bunch of stuff from Crown Royal. I was definitely a junior and definitely got actual bottles of Crown Royal liquor. It was weird for a kid, and even as an adult, thats a very specific drink that I would not necessarily want to win. Wine on the other hand… I remember how bright the colors were for all the merch, I believe purple, gold, and turquoise.
A while ago my mom got a small trunk that doubles as a saddle stand that we use all the time, I love it and used it for a few years when we had limited rack space in the tack room.
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I know the one- my sister won one of those. They are beautiful and very practical!
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Yep, a bunch of kids at my barn have them now. They are easy to move and very practical for smaller kids in a bigger barn like mine. Mind you, MY “tack trunk” is a large McGuinn, my trailer, and my basement, but I digress…
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Anyone have a link to that tacktrunk/saddle stand? I’m a McGuinn person too but even the small trunk doesn’t go to shows as I go alone.
LetItBe
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I am having the darndest time trying to find it online. I will try to remember to look inside one of the kids trunks for a makers label to look it up that way. They are not big, I can carry it by myself, but they can fit the essentials!
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Well, your horse is bigger than theirs. 
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So at its tallest it’s 6 inches? But it collapses down for easy storage? To what, 3 inches? 
My favorite awards are the 3-piece silver buckles I won years ago. One was for an adult medal class. The other one was high point at a charity show. I still have them and wear them when I show English.
I also love jackets for high points and year end awards, with the title embroidered on the back. I’m really upset with myself that I gave away or lost track of the ones I won.
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Least favorite? Easily the year end champion award for our state H/J association a couple years back: a black, faux leather “carry on”? or “ugly oversized purse/bag knockoff” with the logo kind of printed on it. I won two… meanwhile, the reserve award was a cooler…the horse kind. Say what?! I was so bummed. The ribbons were great. Second to this were the dreadful plates and cheap trophies at several local type shows. I prefer useful things.
Best award(s): division champions got a Columbia sportswear rain coat. Nice and I still wear it today! Bucket of carrots and apples at a local show-- useful for both participants! Wine or beer (nice microbrews) for the adults at a local show. I liked that they acknowledged not everyone likes wine (me!!).
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So I have only ever competed in schooling shows at my barn or at shows that are the equestrian equivalent of a beer league, so the only prizes I have ever won are a very pretty lead rope that I use pretty regularly and a shot glass made out of peppermint. Had to supply my own vodka for it, but it was enjoyed.
Ironically, I got the shot glass at the barn schooling show in a class where I was competing against a bunch of kids and got the lead rope at the finale of the beer league…
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LOL. 
Love that movie.
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If you’re going to do anything wearable (horse or human) as a prize, it really is smarter to present a certificate or voucher so the winner can order their prize in a useable size.
— Signed, a 5’1” Arabian owner who has only ever won prizes many, many sizes too large to actually use…
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I had one like that made for both me and for my trainer and we love ours!!!
Worst - Cheap socks with the name of the show on them. As in, so slippery that they were useless because your feet slid around in them. I won a couple of classes at that show and ended up with useless socks. I’m pretty sure this was same management team as the one where @Bristol_Bay’s friend won the “Metal” final.
Typo Award - Ribbons that said Portugese Bend instead of Portuguese Bend. Had to point that out to the show manager.
One of the best things I won, in part because it’s unique, was a statue that the show management (Fun with Dick and Jane at Dressage at the Club–if you know, you know) commissioned.
I’m to the point where I appreciate practical things. Was thrilled to win a class last summer and get a nice straw hat that probably cost me thousands. Riding Warehouse sponsored my division at Split Rock and I got a couple of gift certificates, a pad, a belt, and some other stuff.
I have a set of $2000 beer mugs (adjusted for showflation).
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What a fun thread. Wow, prizes have branched out and gotten more creative. So about 100 years ago, we won silver and pewter things a lot on the H/J circuit. I won a print in the Jr. Hunter Under Saddle class at the Dayton Horse Show (1975). Although my horse was fabulous over fences, his movement was not nearly in the same league as another horse from our stable in the same class—who had national points in that regard. But he was bulletproof and the judge LOVED him. I was embarrassed but… I’ve kept it and moved with it 4 times and this year I took that old racing print and had it re-matted and framed and it’s just one of the best things I ever won.
In October 2020, I took my OTTB to his first show, a little local dressage schooling show, and my first show in 45+ years. We only did walk/trot, he’d never been in a real dressage ring before, but he was just such an awesome boy. Out of maybe 6 total, he did well:
I lost him in Feb. 2021 and miss him so much to this day. Those might be my most prized ribbons. I guess “best” and “worst” is relative to time, partner, and life.
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Oh no. Down to like an inch, maybe less. Sort of interesting design, but worthless as tatas on a boar.
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First class I ever won, some ~45 years ago, came with a silver julep cup with the name of the event and the year engraved on it. I still have it, it’s a pencil holder on my desk, and occasionally, I remember to polish it. It’s the only piece of silver I ever won, so it’s precious to me.
One cooler is great, two is good, after that, nobody needs more coolers. Mixing it up with fly sheets or anti-sweats is good, but sooner or later, you have more than you need.
Leather halters are great. Gift certificates to tack retailers are also great.
A very inexpensive local show gave a gift basket full of horse goodies - horse treats, grooming tools, fly spray, etc. I used everything in the basket and was delighted that my minimal entry fee got me a nice prize.
I have a really impressive set of barware right now because all the local orgs give them as thank you gifts to officials. That, coffee mugs and Tervis tumblers. I don’t need any more of any of them.
Yeti tumblers with the name of the event engraved, not decaled on, would be great.
A nice, not cheap, photo frame with the event name and date is always good too.
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One of the nicest prizes I ever saw was a beautiful pewter picture frame with the date/class engraved on it. Included was a photo from the show photographer so the winners had a nice photo to go with it.
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